From: The Holy Land Foundation

The Holy Land Foundation

The members of the Jerusalem Coordinating Committee of International Non-Governmental Organizations (CCINGO), as well as Church leaders, are concerned about the serious consequences of the continued closure of Jerusalem to Palestinians who live in the West Bank and Gaza. This statement has been prepared to clarify the causes and effects of the closure for outside audiences.

Though Israel retains a legally sanctioned "security control" over a large portion of the West Bank, it must be noted that the United Nations has not recognized East Jerusalem as a legitimate part of Israel. This report will focus primarily on the hardships Palestinians face by being denied entry into what has historically been a cultural and economic center of Palestinian life.

When did the Closure begin?
On March 30, 1993, permit requirements were instituted for Palestinians wishing to enter Jerusalem or Israel, and checkpoints were established to regulate travel in areas under Israeli "security control."

How is the Closure enforced?
Checkpoints exist on all roads into Jerusalem or Israel from the West Bank. Palestinians without permits are denied entry.

How does the permit system work?
Palestinians must obtain permits from the Israeli government to work in Jerusalem or Israel, to visit relatives, to travel through Jerusalem to jobs in the other half of the West Bank, to reach medical facilities, to attend educational institutions in Gaza or the West Bank, to go to church or mosque, and to use the international airport. Seeking a permit can be a physically and emotionally difficult experience, involving long lines, bureaucratic delays, and insensitive treatment from authorities.

International NGO are reportedly affected by the closure as well, since large percentage of their local staff comes from the West Bank. NGO directors report difficulties in obtaining timely permits for staff members.

In addition, Palestinians who have obtained permits report they may still be denied access to the secured areas at the whim of the soldiers manning the checkpoints.

What happens at the Checkpoints?
While each vehicle at the checkpoint must wait in line for inspection, cars with yellow Israeli plates are waved into a fast-moving lane whild blue plated West Bank cars and Palestinian taxis and buses are directed to a separate lane where the process of checking is more rigorous and extensive. Armed soldiers check identity cards and documents for all passengers, and police dogs sniff for explosives on Arab buses and taxis.

Who is affected by the closure?
At first, in 1993, all Palestinians were denied entry into Jerusalem. A total of 120,000 permits have now been granted, mostly to men working in Israeli construction or agriculture. Women are now permitted free entry along with children under the age of 16 and men over the age of 55. After extremist or terrorist actions, restrictions may be tightened resulting in a full closure for a given time period. In response to bombings and extremist violence, a complete closure occurred from January 22 to February 16, 1995, when Israel agreed to restore 15,000 permits. Even during times when the closure is lifted, the difficulties of obtaining permits and waiting in long lines at checkpoints to carry out basic work or school related travel remain, along with the hardships caused by the ongoing damage to the local economy.

Why was the closure imposed?
Israel maintains that the closure and the continued restrictions on travel are necessary for security reasons. Palestinians see them not only as a security measure, but as collective punishment for all Palestinians, regardless of political affiliation.

How effective is the closure in security terms?
In every case of violence against Israelis from March 1993 to March 1995, the perpetrator managed to enter Israel without a permit by finding a way around the checkpoints. Though the true effect of the closure may be impossible to measure, it seems clear that the closure cannot guarantee safety or completely prevent the threat from those determined to attack Israelis.

Perceptions created by the closure.
Palestinians widely view the close as collective punishment against the entire population for the acts of a few extremists. They suspect that this ongoing policy is one way Israel limits the Arab presence in Jerusalem and strengthens their claim that Jerusalem is a united Israeli city. They point out that the checkpoints define Jerusalem's borders in Israeli terms and prevent Palestinians from maintaining ties with their vital center. They believe that the closure actually does little to increase Israeli security and only angers Palestinians, fueling hostility and xenophobia on both sides of the issue.

FOUNDATION AIDS HOLY LAND CHRISTIANS
For almost 2,000 years Christianity has been a living presence in the Holy Land. An alarming pattern is emerging as large numbers of young Christian families are forced to leave their homeland in search of better livelihoods. The Church here is in crisis, and most religious leaders predict that within 60 years the Christian presence may cease to exist. If this happens, the Christian churches and shrines of the Holy Land will become empty monuments offering sad testimony to the tragic exodus of a once-vital and thriving native Christian community.

During the past 800 years, the Franciscan Custody has ministered to the Christians and maintained the Holy Sites and Shrines in what is now the State of Israel. Because of their long-standing presence in the region, the Franciscans are knowledgeable of the Christians' plight. To help a Christian population that receives little financial assistance from foreign lands and is without an organization to voice its concerns, the Christian churches of Jerusalem-Anglicans, Lutherans and Presbyterians, have come together with the Franciscans to voice both their written and verbal support for the goals of the Foundation. Created in July 1994, The Holy Land Foundation is headquartered in Washington, DC, and is attempting to raise funds in the United States and other nations to aid Christians in the Holy Land. It is not to be confused with theTexas-based organization called the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development.

The immediate objectives of The Holy Land Foundation are to create new job opportunities; provide scholarships to academically capable, but underprivileged, Christian students; construct subsidized housing for Christian families; establish a medical clinic in Jericho, and restore the Tomb of Jesus in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.To attain these goals, The Holy Land Foundation is seeking to raise more than $30 million for these projects.

Where will this be spent? Housing, a major problem facing many Christians in the region, is a financial priority. The Custody has large tracts of land available and is donating acreage for 194-housing units to be built in Bethphage, Jericho, Bethlehem, Beit-Hanina and Nazareth. Sixty-two housing units at a cost between $70,000-100,000 each are already completed. Currently, the organization is providing 50 partial scholarships at $1,200 each per year and 25 full scholarships costing $10,000 each per year. Construction of the proposed 24,000-square-foot Maternal/Child Care Clinic in Jericho is estimated at $1.5 million, including medical equipment, and restoration of the Tomb of Jesus will require $4.5 million in funds.

Within the Holy Land a disparity in wages and salaries exists. Christian Palestinian salaries average $3,000-$4,000 per year compared to $20,000-$22,000 average per year for Israeli citizens. For Christian families already living at the poverty level, the recent closures of the West Bank and Gaza, due to terrorist activities within the region, have added to the financial distress of workers unable to travel freely to their places of employment in Jerusalem and the surrounding areas.

Out of a total population of more than six million inhabitants in the Holy Land, church estimates indicate approximately 150,000-160,000 Christians reside in the area today.

Fr. Peter E Vasko, OFM, president and spokesperson for The Holy Land Foundation, travels to the United States twice each year as part of an awareness campaign for the Foundation. Fr. Peter's fall tour of major U.S. cities resulted in Christians of all denominations offering prayers and aid for The Holy Land Foundation's mission, which is to preserve the "living church" in the Holy Land by supporting Christianity's roots, history and heritage.

To obtain more information or to offer your support call The Holy Land Foundation at (202) 269-5430 or write to The Holy Land Foundation, 1400 Ouincy Street, NE, Washington, DC 20017.